Six Stars from Cork honoured for EirGrid GAA Football U21 All-Ireland Championship displays

Diarmuid OâConnor named EirGrid U21 Football Player of the Year 2016

Six of the Cork U21 panel have been selected as recipients of the âEirGrid 21 U21 Awardsâ. Goalkeeper Anthony Casey, defenders Kevin Flahive and Kieran Histon, midfielders Sean White and forwards Sean OâDonoghue and Sean Powter have been recognised following notable performances in this yearâs championship.

Six Mayo players are also awarded as they prove joint leaders for award winners in 2016. EirGrid U21 Leinster finalists Dublin and Kildare have been awarded three and one awards respectively. EirGrid U21 Munster and Connacht title runners up, Kerry and Roscommon both have one player each rewarded for their impressive performances this year. Finally, EirGrid U21 Ulster title champions for the first time since 2007 Monaghan, have three players recognised for their outstanding contribution in the 2016 championship.

The awards honour the twenty-one standout players from the 2016 EirGrid GAA Football U21 All-Ireland Championship as selected by members of the Gaelic Writers Association and EirGrid Ambassadors SeÃ¡n Cavanagh and Trevor Giles.

In addition to the 21 U21 awards, EirGrid asked supporters to select their EirGrid GAA Football U21 Player of the Year. This year, the three nominees were Corkâs SeÃ¡n White, Dublinâs Con OâCallaghan and Mayoâs Diarmuid OâConnor. Fans casted their vote by visiting the official GAA Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages between Tuesday 24thMay and Thursday 26th May.

EirGrid U21 Football Player of the Year 2016

Today, EirGrid proudly announce Diarmuid OâConnor as the EirGrid U21 Football Player of the Year 2016 with a total of 4,000 votes across all social media platforms. Congratulations are still in order for both Con and SeÃ¡n who were deservingly shortlisting for their outstanding performances in the 2016 championship.

Wing-forward OâConnor was an impressive stand-out on a dominating Mayo team that took to every game with a noted collective approach. His ability to dictate the pace of any game was instrumental as Mayo claimed their first All-Ireland title in 10 years.

"Congratulations to Diarmuid for his award but also to all of the players who have been shortlisted in recognition of their performances over the course of the EirGrid U21 football championship.

"The spread of players included points to the strength of the respective counties who competed for both provincial and national honours and I have no doubt we will be hearing more about these footballers in years to come.

âThanks to EirGrid for their role in organising these innovative awards and we look forward to Mayo's defence of their title next year."

Rosemary Steen, Director of External Affairs, EirGrid commented;

âWe are delighted to honour the top 21 performers of the EirGrid GAA Football U21 All-Ireland Championship for the second year in a row. While we were blown away by the character and effort of many team performances this year, it is always nice to be able to recognise the individual feats throughout the campaign.

âThe talent displayed proves how competitive and exciting this Championship is. Congratulations to all our winners and thank you for making the EirGrid GAA Football U21 All-Ireland Championship such a fantastic spectacle.

âI would also like to extend my thanks to the families, coaches, trainers and clubs of all of our winners in helping these players perform to the best of their abilities. We expect to hear big things from all of our award winners over the coming years as they go on to join the senior ranks. On behalf of EirGrid, I wish them every success.â